Natural beauty: a term that’s meaning has been lost throughout the years. Though I cannot tell you exactly when the true idea of natural beauty was lost, I can tell you that girls are starting to apply more and more makeup at even younger of ages.

Today’s society has a way of making women feel like if they are not wearing makeup, they are not pretty.

Well I am here to tell you different. In my eyes, and in the eyes of most men, makeup can actually damage the image (and message) a woman is trying to send to others.

In fact, according to an Oracle-conducted survey of 117 male students, 53 percent of males at GBS find that putting on more makeup does not make a woman prettier.

I know what you’re thinking, “He’s a guy, how could he possibly know the struggles of women and the need to put makeup on?” But I ask you, why is it that you put makeup on in the first place? Most women will say to look pretty, but who are you trying to make yourself look pretty for? Yourself? Your job? Sure, but I’m guessing the main reason is to look good in the eyes of the opposite sex, in your case, the ever-so-eager male.

You may think that those bold lips or smokey eyes are going to draw in that cute boy who sits in front of you in fourth period chemistry class, but you are wrong.

From a man’s perspective, we don’t look at how much makeup you are wearing. The pattern of most men’s eyes goes like this (don’t be offended by the truth): eyes, smile, boobs, butt. And in some sad cases of men, it is reversed.

Trust me when I tell you that men are not interested in what makeup has to offer. Not only do guys not always notice the time and effort you put into your makeup, but if they did notice it, they wouldn’t come close to understanding what it is.

Just to try to understand the opposition, I had to go online and look up what makeup essentially is: the terminology, where to place it and why women put it on, the whole deal. This research only made me more confused and reinforced my question of why women apply makeup everyday.

Common reasons include covering freckles, changing their complexion and to make their eyes or lips “POP” more. But why change these things? Your freckles are beauty marks that you were born with and meant to have; the color of your skin makes you who you are! Women need to realize that they’re beautiful the way they naturally look.

Women shouldn’t go out of their way to purchase overpriced cosmetics that will only mask their natural faces. I apologize if I’m being pessimistic, or in simpler terms, a “Debbie Downer,” but at the end of the day, your face is just that: your face. You cannot change your features by layering on bronzer every day.

Be happy with the unique look that you possess because the truth of the matter is, no one else in the whole world looks like you.

In my perfect world, no woman would wear makeup. In fact, in my perfect world, cosmetics wouldn’t even exist. But I could give in to a certain extent, I could understand if a limited amount of makeup was applied for those days when you roll out of bed, look in the mirror and see a third eye on your forehead looking back at you. Or when you’re so sick your skin is ghostly, put on a little blush, that’s all right.

What I ask of the women at South, and beyond, is that you don’t overdo it. Makeup in excess will only hurt you. Be respectable and be proud of what you naturally look like.